People associate Wicca with witchcraft. Witchcraft is said to be evil. So Wicca is evil, right? It is this ignorant reasoning that makes Wiccans often hide their faith from the public. I was curious about it myself since I have heard outspoken followers of Wicca maintain that they are not evil witches or devil worshippers, but at the same time, they are vague about what their religion is based on. So, I decided to look into what this Wicca phenomenon is all about.
Wicca is said to be rooted Gardnerian Witchcraft which was founded in the UK during the late 1940s. It is based on the symbols, seasonal days of celebration, beliefs and deities of ancient Celtic society, practices which go back to the formation of Celtic society in 800 BCE. There are various forms of Wicca, and depending on the form, they can either acknowledge a single god, a god and goddess team, several ancient gods, or no living gods at all but merely symbolic representations of them. Some practice magic, but at the same time, witchcraft is not a religion so a member of any religion is said to be capable of performing magic. Others are merely spiritual.
There are some similarities between Wicca and Satanism, but at the same time, Wiccans do not acknowledge an evil being and therefore, do not worship Satan or any other representation of an evil god. For one, both use a five-pointed star, only Satanists align two points of the star upwards, and Wiccans align two points of their star downwards in most cases. Also, both perform their rituals in a circle marked on the ground. Finally, both practice magic, only Wiccan magic is said to be positive and non-manipulative. While Wiccans consider themselves to be the exact opposite of Satanists, others do not take the time to point out the differences between the practices of these two groups.
Despite being such a misunderstood religion, Wiccans have taken pains to create a clear set of rules and beliefs for all denominations of the religion to live by which they say that other, accepted religions have not done. These rules include the respect of all people, a strong belief against the death penalty, a separation between church and state, the correction of evil deeds by the individual who committed them, a strict belief in the importance of religion, and the importance of democracy within all groups.
If this is all that there is to the religion, then there really is nothing to hide from, and it makes one wonder why people would conceal such a tame religion in the first place. Once people hear the word “witchcraft,” however, it leaves little room for one to explain it in further detail to one who is closed-minded towards the concept. All it takes it for one person not to agree that soon, people become alienated from their communities, workplaces, and even their families. When it reaches children’s ears, the taunting could be devastating to a child with a Wiccan parent.
This is why, despite being one of the fastest growing religions in the country, with at least 134,000 known worshippers, a direct head count is nearly impossible. However, not all Wiccans are as closed-mouthed about their religion. In April, Wiccans won out in a lawsuit with the Department of Veterans Affairs to add the Wiccan pentacle to a list of approved religious symbols that it will engrave on veterans’ headstones. As with all religions at first, there will be a great deal of criticism before the group has a chance at acceptance.
To read more about Wicca, visit http://www.religioustolerance.org/statbelief.htm and www.nytimes.com.
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7 users commented in " What Is Wicca All About, and Why Does It Scare Us? "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackOverall, a nice article. Thanks! Two minor points from my perspective. Many “newbie” Wiccans are unaware that the point-down pentacle popularly associated with Satanism since the 1960s was first (and still is) the symbol of a 2nd-Degree initiate in Gardnerian Wicca, the original Wiccan Tradition. Also, you will find a good percentage of Wiccans pro-death penalty.
For a good overview of the religion as a whole, I invite you to check out http://wicca.timerift.net
Please stop comparing Wicca to Satanism. We are not Satanists, for the 157th time. The “similarity” of the pentacle (five-pointed star) is about the only such similarity I can find. The concept of Satan is a Abrahamic concept (Jewish/Christian/Muslim) and Satan is THEIR fallen angel, not ours. As fas a Magick (the correct spelling if what we do) every belief system employs it…some call it prayer or meditation or other terms. Biblical miracles are Magick, wouldn’t you agree?
As an Army veteran of Desert Storm, I appreciate the Dept of Veteran Affairs finally getting it together to recognize us as a bona fide belief system and allows us to have a pentacle engraved on our grave markers. BTW, the pentacle already exists on grave markers, and “upside down” at that, the accepted symbol of the Masonic Order Of The Eastern Star, and the Fraternal Order Of Police. Evil, huh?
Otherwise, a good article.
93, in LVX, Slan agus beannacht leat.
Moth
A nice article, although there are a few misconceptions. The pentacle point-up/point-down bit isn’t accurate. Some Satanists use it point down, as do some Wiccans (as a previous comment mentioned), as do Freemasons. The real difference is how we interpret what the symbol means. The pentacle, both point up and down, can be found in many Christian cathedrals, both carved and worked into stained glass, and can be found in Hinduism, Islam, some Native American traditions, and a few far-eastern religions. It is a symbol that has been used by lots of people for a long time, and the fact that one group (the Satanists) use it now doesn’t indicate any ties or similarities - it is a simple coincidence, much like the fact that both the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the flag of Morocco both have them.
Second, we don’t have a ‘clear set of rules and beliefs’ that we all (or even a majority of us) agree to. The things you listed are ideas most of us agree with, but it isn’t ‘dictated’ anywhere. Why? For the same reason that, as you say, “they are vague about what their religion is based on.” There is no central authority for Wiccans. The largest cohesive body is the ‘tradition’ which is simply a sect, and the world’s Wiccans are divided up amongst hundreds of traditions, with tens of thousands more practicing alone. No definitive statement that anyone could ever make would really apply to anything more that the members of one’s own tradition. The reason that ‘what do Wiccans believe’ is often met with a vague answer is that there really are many hundreds of answers, depending on which group of Wiccans you ask. We’re too diverse to apply any universal answers to. The only real real generalizations you could make is that we’re all ecologically minded and have a strong respect for people - including not harming them or interfering with their free will. Although the ethics (or their interpretations) may vary from one group to the next, we’re generally a very ethical, moral bunch of folks, who generally believe that we’re only completely free to act as we see fit if our actions are completely free of harm, and are very, very restrained, acting in a harmful manner only in the most extreme and obvious cases of self defense. In other words, I’ll never punch you in the nose, but if you punch me, I’ll punch back.
I have a theory, a gut hunch about how the upside down pentacle became paired with Satan. Satan is an anti-Abrahamic faith. One of its symbols is an upside down cross, meaning that they were making a statement about the Christian cross.
Once upon a time some Christians used the pentacle to symbolize the five wounds of Christ; feet, hands, and crown of thorns. I’m sure it got flipped like the cross.
Just a guess I’ve never studied Satanism.
To be a satanist, you must first be a jew, christian or muslim and then rebel - and worship the fallen favorite son of god. To be a wiccan or other pagan it is not necessary or beneficial to believe in the judeo-christian god story. Therefore you do not believe in their devil or his minions. Therefore you do not worship them or call upon them for help. There is NO relationship between satanism and wicca or the other pagan forms of worship. Simple isn’t it.
Decent article. Most points I had have already been pointed out. @Gunky: Satanists no not worship the devil. They honor themselves as being gods. That about 90% of what I know about Sataism. http://www.churchofsatan.com/
No “Mothrae” you have a serious misunderstanding of biblical miracles, biblical miracles are NOT magic they are where God exercises his power over his creation. Prayer is also NOT magic it is simply a conversation with God!
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